Finger Lakes Wine Country

Best Breadth of Excellent Wine: Hosmer Winery (Cayuga) - Like many vineyards in the area, they specialize in Riesling—try the Single Wheel Batonnage.

Best Red Wines: Silver Spring Winery (Seneca) - This spot could also get the award for most tie dye. Owner/winemaker John is an encyclopedia of wine knowledge, and he turns that into truly stunning reds.

Best Glass of Wine: Gewurztraminer from Shepardess (Interlaken) - This incredible wine is actually made with Sheldrake (Cayuga) grapes.

Best Snacks: Varick Winery (Cayuga) - They have tons of local snacks that they pair with their wines. Plus, their annual Pumpkin Chuckin is the most fun party game ever.

Best View: Thirsty Owl (Cayuga) - The bistro on their back deck is lovely, and they have over 2,000 feet of lakefront.

Best Hidden Gem: Silver Thread Vineyard (Seneca) - Tucked away off the beaten path, the drive to Silver Thread is stunning—and not far from us!

Main Nature Attractions

Taughannock Falls - This is the the highest waterfall in New York state—yes, higher than Niagara! There’s an area where you can drive-up and see the falls hike-free.

Watkins Glen - Your trip to the Finger Lakes isn’t complete without a stop at this park! The Gorge Trail winds over and under a number of waterfalls, and the views are incredible.

Ithaca Falls - The waterfall can be seen from the road, but a short hike will get you a better view.

Buttermilk Falls - This is a stunner. The hike is a bit more rigorous (about 700 steps), and it’s a bit steeper than Watkins Glen. But it’s right in downtown Ithaca.

Breweries

Grist Iron Brewery (Burdett) - This place has live music and great ambiance. Try the vanilla porter.

Two Goats Brewery (Burdett) - This solar-powered brewery occupies a 19th century barn overlooking Seneca Lake.

Scale House Brewery (Ithaca) - They serve a mean pizza topped with housemade mozzarella cheese.

Lucky Hare Brewing Company (Hector) - In addition to delicious beer, they serve fantastic Mexican food, specializing in Oaxacan dishes.

Lost Kingdom Brewery and Firehouse Distillery (Ovid) - Located in a renovated firehouse on Main Street in Ovid, you can sample local beers, wines and spirits here.

Ithaca Brewery (Ithaca) - They have a wide selection of really good beer, plus a lovely beer garden in the summer.

Rooster Fish Brewing Pub (Watkins Glen) - Grab a table in the beer garden and order a flight of their craft ales made with locally grown farm products.

Heavily Brewing Co. (Montour Falls) - Located in a converted dairy barn, this small batch brewer also offers grilled reuben sandwiches and behind-the-scenes tours.

Restaurants

Atlas Bowling (Trumansburg) - They have a full bar, live music, yummy food, and oh yeah, sometimes there’s bowling. But mostly it’s about the food and drinks.

Dano’s Hueriger on Seneca (Lodi) - Come here for delicious Viennese food, a huge wine list, and a stunning outdoor terrace.

Seneca Coffee House (Ovid) - This is a great spot for specialty coffee drinks and a variety of pastries including danishes and bagels.

Stonecat Cafe (Hector) - Local cuisine is the main attraction, but live jazz music is a lovely side dish.

Cayuga Lake Creamery (Interlaken) - In addition to a variety of creative ice cream flavors, they also offer wine sorbets made from local wines.

Hazelnut Kitchen (Trumansburg) - Looking for an NYC-level of gourmet? You can dress up if you want, but you totally don’t have to. We do recommend reservations though.

Little Venice (Trumansburg) - Cute, casual spot for fantastic fresh handmade pasta and Italian food.

The Elf in the Oak (Burdett) - Open for breakfast and lunch, this is a great spot to pick up fresh salads, soups, and sandwiches.

Toni’s Diner (Hector) - This classic diner serves up breakfast dishes of bacon and eggs, omelettes, and pancakes.